and if you just told the pentagon, okay. you have to get $46,000,000,000 out of your budget by september 30th, you figure it out. they would whine all the way to september 30th. you come up with a workable solution. but that's not the game they are playing. they are playing these across the board cuts. >> on a related question talking about budget and someone who has spoken out about the need to do some debt trimming of the budget let's say in the pentagon. chuck hagel, they are going to vote again next week. what is the feeling at the pentagon do they expect him to be the next defense secretary? >> oh, yeah. i think everybody anticipates him being the next secretary of defense. the issue there is is he a damaged secretary of defense? you have a guy who has got congressional experience, and my experience covering the pentagon all of these years is that political skills are the most important thing that a secretary of defense needs. >> really? >> yeah, because in the end, that's who gives you the money. >> that's whatley on p